Parenteral fluids administration is typically accomplished in a hospital following delivery from the hospital pharmacy of the fluids in closed containers. The fluid container may be a relatively rigid one, such as a glass bottle, having a vented closure/connection with an intravenous tube. It may be, as has become more prevalent in recent years, a collapsible container formed from sheets of clear plastic which will collapse as the fluid is delivered.
When a relatively small medication dose is to be delivered as an adjunct to parenteral administration of primary fluids, it may be injected into the patient as a bolus by means of a manually activated syringe. Alternatively, a syringe is deposited in an electronic motor drive for automatically advancing the syringe plunger over a desired period. Most frequently, the dose is delivered over time to the patient from a "mini-bag" which is simply a small collapsible plastic container of the type mentioned above. In that mode of operation, the hospital pharmacy will prepare, measure and transfer the measured medication dose into a mini-bag, utilizing one or more syringes for measurement and transfer. The mini-bag is typically hooked into the intravenous setup by a piggyback arrangement. In the piggyback, a primary fluid line is provided with a check valve and a Y-connector below the valve, and the secondary medication mini-bag is hung higher than the primary fluid container. Such a system is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,598.
The prevalent practice of mini-bag delivery of medication doses when a gradual infusion is desired requires a substantial materials expense which, in accordance with this invention, can be eliminated. Moreover, this standard practice in the art involves additional manipulation and steps which require, in light of the present invention, unnecessary labor.